Monday, October 6, 2008

The caramel apple pie seen in this video recipe was used as a test for Pillsbury Pie Crusts. I've wanted to give them a try, so I could post a review on my American food site. I had heard anecdotal evidence that they made a very respectable crust, and wanted to see for myself. And, I felt like pie.

If you're going to test a pie crust, you have to go with the quintessential pie…apple. But, I didn’t make the traditional apple pie, I went with this caramel apple recipe which is super easy, but very unusual in its construction. It contains no flour or other starch in the filling to bind it together. The texture of the filling is basically caramelized apples, glued together with a very glossy, very clean, just thick enough, apple syrup.

I leave the red peel on the apples in this pie, which not only adds nutritional value, but also gives the filling a beautiful color. I used Gala apples, and after the pie was cooked, the skin was perfectly tender, and almost disappeared into the filling. Be sure to let this pie cool completely! Since there is no starch to bind the apples, the caramel/apple syrup in the filling will not set while warm.

To me, this is the purest and most intensely flavored apple pie recipe there is. The interesting thing about this recipe is the way the caramel sauce is poured over the apples and the lattice crust. You know how with a traditional apple pie some of the apple juices will caramelize as it bakes and bubble out of the pie and bake into and onto the flaky crust? You know how awesomely chewy-flaky-sticky-crumbly that part is? That's how this whole pie is. Enjoy!

Incredible - the american apple pie without starch; Chef now you totally won me over - I think I will try to reproduce this, with few extra walnuts added.

Btw. using unpealed apples in your recipe is probably required - pectin for thickening marmelades, jams and some low-fat yogurts is actualy extracted on industrial scale from apple peals. (Pectin is great, it does not muddy up the flavor of fruit).

No, actually it's not too a bad list. Of course, there are a few mold retardants and the obligatory Xanthan gum, but it does contain lard, which would explain it's very decent flaky texture. Homemade is of course better, always, but for many, this would make homemade pies a reality.

Looks good. I will try this with my own can't be beaten pie crust. The ingredients are very close to my own apple pie (I use more cinnamon and a little nutmeg) but your method is intriguing and I can hardly wait to try it. I believe that brown sugar MAKES apple pie. Also, I must say that most apple pie recipes call for much less sugar and they end up drab and sour. This one looks yummy!Thanks.

I don't think blueberries in filling will set without additional thickener - I sometimes make a luxurious pankake syrup, by combining one package of frozen blueberries with one of rapsberries with 5-6 spoons of sugar, and slowly warming up the mix and stirring warm until the fruit liquifies into the sugar (no boiling, no added liquids!). It tastes jolly good - but stays rather syrupy when it cools down.

But you can try to mix some dried apricots into your blueberries - cut them into thin noodles so that the dried appricots dissolve in faster. Apricots are very rich in pectin so they should act like a natural thickener in your blueberry filling. (Another reasonbly good thickener are dried figs but they have seeds, it affects the texture).

Hi Chef John!I am currently working on caramel apples to get my family in the fall and Halloween mode, so your caramel apple pie vid was an awesome coincedence! Not too sure about using Pillsbury pie crust though. I have tried it, and I can certainly say that it has a decent texture. Flavorwise, ehh. I stick to making my own pate brisee - with high fat European butter. I know it's a splurge, but I can't help it...I'm darn picky about my pie crusts. All the necessary ingredients for your recipe are in my cupboard. I'll have to write in and tell you how it worked out! Happy Food Wishes Your youtube subscriber, sh97 aka Maria K. from San Antonio

Chef,I made this last night. Wow. It was so easy and good. The crust was great, actually, and looked so inviting. I might use a few more apples. I thought it was a bit sweet... yet the amount of caramel sauce was right on. Any suggestions? Overall, it was truly home made tasting and looking. My son even said: "I could make that. And I will." Now THAT'S amazing. Many thanks!!gigi

not sure. Did you peel apples? let it cool? Cook it long enough? Mine was not thick, but wasn't very watery either. Maybe your apples were a different variety? Red/Gold Delicious tend to be wetter I've found.

:D Hey, Chef John. I tried the recipe and it came out with awesome results. I'm 15 years old, so when my parents came home after I cooked this, they were stunned. My mom said she was jealous that my first pie turned out like this(it was pretty AND delicious). So, thank you. :) I've tried a lot of your recipes, but this is the first one I decided to photograph. Here is a picture:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v491/YusukesTomboy/1016081909.jpg

Okay, I made the pie and it was really tasty and good. I even sliced the apples like you (and almost everyone else does). I gotta say, though, that I really prefer to cut each apple quarter into two or three slices and then cut them crosswise. This way, when you take a bite it's much easier to eat and there are no long slices to flop across your chin. Maybe I'm just a messy eater but I gotta say my apple pie is always well received. Thanks for the recipe--I will make it again.

Thank you for this great recipie. My family had our early Thanksgiving with extended family this weekend and I made this pie to bring. It looked so pretty and tasted amazing. Everyone raved about it and lots of request for the recipie were made. So if traffic on your site increases this week... ;). It is simple and taste like apple pie, just better than usual. I also used the idea of the carmel syurp on a dessert for tonight, with great results. I made a tart with pears, cranberries and pecans then drizzled with the syurp and baked. Yum! Thanks again.

Hey Chef John!I've actually been wanting to learn how to make pie in preparation for the holidays. :P When I saw this recipe, I knew this is exactly the thing I want to start off with, seems simple enough and your pie looks really amazing! Thanks so much for posting this up! I look forward to checking out all your awesome recipes. Keep up the great work!! (:

Thanks for the recipe, although I wussed out and added flour to it. I also tried to be virtuous and add a fifth apple, but it looks like my pie dish is just a little too small or shallow, so I'm sitting here waiting for it to bake and nibbling on apple slices. :P

Chef John, I used your Mom's crust recipe and made the key lime pie and it turned out great. I am wondering if I use the same crust recipe for this apple pie should I pre cook the crust as in the key lime demo?-Thanks

Chef John, I made this recipe and the crust and flavors came out perfect but the apples stayed a bit too crisp. Any suggestions for getting the apples to soften up a bit without overcooking the crust?I was thinking of trying smaller slices or less apple in general.. I was using gala apples.

I am only 14 and have not done too much cooking since i left my grandma's house. I always had my grandmothers guidence when cooking. I always wanted to know how to make a pie homemade. i got a ice cream maker and was looking on you tube for more help and tips the i saw our link, typed it in,vand before you know it ive read and watched every video on yur site. my favorite was the key lime pie but i couldnt find the ingredients posted? i dont know but if you could post it that would be great. i find the video very helpful. i find all of them verry helpful actually. my mom is taking me to the store tomorrow and i plan on making as manny of your foods as possible. but i think i will start with the apple pie just because i love it soo much!!:p... you have in spired me to try new things and how fun it is to cook. And how funny you can make things look (like the cake flower pot that im going to do for my grandma next time i see her;D haha). Thank you for the help and inspiration i needed. I will comment again when i bake the pie. Looking forward to making everything you have showed me.

I just finished tis apple pie...It is incredibly yummy...It was a bit wattery but I didn't mind because that made the base really sweet.....I used one of the local dough because super market didn't have the ne you used....I also used only brown sugar because the dough I used was buttery and I thought I could avoid some calories.....

The only bad thing is that some of the caramel spilled the oven and now I'm trying to get it off....There's still some there and it's getting on my nerves...any tips?

It's a great recipe really tasty and I'm now in the dilemma to buy vanilla ice cream to serve it with or not... :)

Hey Chef John. I made this yesterday evening, and now there's only one slice of the pie left! I was wondering, when I made the caramel sauce, it didn't turn out as watery as yours did in the video. Also, some of the sugar didn't really dissolve. I let it come to a boil like you said before turning it off. Also, I made the caramel sauce before slicing the apples and all that prep. Any thoughts? Please answer. Thanks.

@ milkshake regarding the blueberry sauce: While blueberries are a typical American berry, you should try making the sauce with black currants which are the equivalent of blueberries in Europe. Blueberries are very sweet (and bland) and while they have good flavor, they are not as flavorful and colorful as black currants. My mom makes black currant jam by using a similar technique 1:1 proportion of sugar and currants (that have been blended in a food processor) all mixed up and warmed up on the stove (just up to a boiling point) in a large pot and cooled off. The procedure is repeated over the course of about 3 days. End result: awesome jam that gets jarred and kept in the fridge for those cold winter days :) Tip: make sure you use enough sugar, otherwise the currants will go sour. If you want more syruppy jam, do not boil the currants for that long and you can use it for pancakes. I eat this jam on just about anything: crepes, pancakes, with ice cream, french toast, even drop a tablespoon in a smooothie for some color and flavor. :)

The pie sounds delicious. I am wondering how the peels came out since the apples went in unpeeled. Where they soft like the apples or where they pliable like skins when the pie was done baking?..Thanks you for any info. Before I spend my time making this pie I would like to know..Thank you.

Hubby says "BEST apple pie I've ever eaten"!!! Wish I could post the picture I put on Facebook here. It's gorgeous. One thing I didn't do was poke the apples to see if they were done, as it's a bit undercooked, but still has the great taste. Will see if I can zap it in the micro for a bit of softening, and then back in the oven to crisp before serving the rest.

I tried to post earlier, but for some reason my comment/question didn't show up :( My pie turned out great, but I had a soggy bottom crust. It may have been from soaking the apples in a water/lemon bath to keep them from turning color. The sauce was heavenly, but I think added to the moisture creating the soggy crust. Any ideas to prevent this? Recipe was yummy though.

I'd toss the apples in the juice, but not soak them in water. I didn't use the juice, as I cut and filled the crust very quickly. I used 2 gala & 3 honey crisp. It was heavenly brown and crisp with a firm well defined appley center. Don't soak the apples and try again. I made another last night and it's gorgeous.

I made this pie exactly as shown, except I used Macintosh apples, since I already had a bag full and the crust and wanted to try the recipe. I agree the bottom crust was soggy, and wasn't excited about the skin. Still, the top crust...SUPER YUMMY. I did squirt lemon juice on the apples, but did not soak them. The next day was when the pie seemed to come together. And we had already eaten half of it. After almost 24 hours of refrigeration, the bottom crust didn't taste as soggy, and the skin on the apples was less obvious. I think the key to this pie is to get it into the fridge as soon as it cools off enough, and then try not to think about it until the next day.

I loved this Apple Pie, I am a beginner cook this was so easy for me!! Plus my brother in law who never comments on anything said WOW!!! I appreciate your videos, it helps to see you do it. P.S. I used 2 honey crisp and 1 granny smith- had a tart/sweet effect!! LOVE IT! Thank you!

I made this recipe a year ago and it came out fabulous! Best apple pie ever. Then I made it yesterday *whomp whomp* - soggy city. I poured out a cup of water from the pie! The crust was soggy and fell apart. The apples weren't that soft either. What happened? I used 6 Braeburn apples, red skinned, not peeled. No pre-soaking of apples. Followed recipe exactly. Help please!

Hello Chef John! My sister and I followed your recipe but when the pie was done and cooled there was about a cup of excess liquid left sitting around in the pie. Was there something we did wrong or....?

I made this the other night, and it was a wonderful apple pie. I did follow the directions but had a mishap, my pie was super extra juicy. In fact it was so juicy after we took out our 3 slices to eat (cut pie in 8 btw) there was a flood of juice into the vacant space.

Just as tasty as a normal pie though, don't know what went wrong.

I had an idea though, and boy am I glad I screwed up somehow! I held the container gently and slowly tipped the juices into a small 1c plastic container, covered it and set it in the freezer.

WOW!

The next night when we dished out the pie I was able to scoop some out onto each piece. *yum* It was like apple pie sorbet! Even thought it had been frozen a day it was scoop-able with a normal spoon. Totally delicious! It wasn't too sweet, with a very apple prominent flavor.

Any idea how I can get this goodness without making pie first?? What if I don't screw up again and get just get a great apple pie and not a two for one deal?

Absolutely delicious. Made this pie for me and my husband and he loved it. Made a pie for parents and then a pie for neighbors. They all loved it. I did use the Pillsbury dought which made it so simple. Now what to do with all my extra apples from my neighbors tree. Chef John can you please help me figure out how to translate your Carmelized Apple Pie into a freezer recipe so I can have it anytime of the year? Please please help me convert. Thanks.